When he’s not whizzing around tracks and winning world championships seven times, Lewis Hamilton is racing to the top of men’s best-dressed lists. The Formula 1 driver’s bold sense of dress has captured attention beyond the tabloids and fashion magazines, but most importantly of Dior Men’s artistic director, Kim Jones, who has named the sports star as the brand’s latest ambassador, with Hamilton designing a new lifestyle collection to mark the news.
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For those who keep tabs on the F1 driver’s wardrobe, the announcement may come as little surprise considering Hamilton has been regularly spotted sporting custom looks by the designer and graced many a catwalk with regular front-row fashion week appearances. Now taking their relationship one step further, the brand has announced Hamilton as its new Dior Men ambassador, guest designing a lifestyle collection that is set to arrive in shops this October.
Lewis Hamilton’s guest Dior collection is centered around what the brand calls a ‘winter lifestyle.’ Swapping the circuit for the slopes, the collection is an insight into Hamilton’s alternative sporting life, with colorful technical ski jackets, an array of knitwear and even Dior-emblazoned equipment ready to hit the snow.
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Traditional suiting has been given a more casual silhouette, reinterpreted in Dior’s classic tweeds and African textiles in a nod to Hamilton’s and the Maison’s global background. Elsewhere, accessories have been updated with a technical edge, ensuring they’re ready for any conditions the slopes could bring. The Dior Derbys have been reinterpreted with technical capacities to become a snowshoe, while a new Dior zipped backpack merges functionality with high-fashion embellishment.
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“Working with Kim and the talented team at Dior has been a dream, and I was honored when Kim asked if I’d like to do this with him,” Hamilton said on the announcement of the collection. “Our values and ideas are aligned, making it easy to bring to life a creative collection infused with our shared experiences.”
Hamilton went on to explain how there was a focus on making conscious choices, whether that’s through its knits and fleeces made from organic or recycled textiles or celebrating world craft in the collection through its pieces created by the Parisian atelier, technical Japanese skiwear or traditional African artisans.
“Merging inspiration from my roots in Africa – drawing from their fabrics and belief in natural materials, as well as vibrant colors and powerful energy – has been so inspiring,” Hamilton continued. “I hope people everywhere feel good in these garments we designed so carefully.”
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Artist director Jones also echoed this outlook for the collection, stating: “This collection also reflects Lewis’ sporting side, his virtuosity and our functionality.
“We share a love of nature, a desire to celebrate Africa, and an interest in the artisanal processes and techniques that unite craftspeople in Africa with the savoir-faire of the Dior ateliers.”
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